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42beeblebrox

I saw this today! Had to drop someone off at the airport and did a double take. I dunno what an Antonov is, but even I could tell this thing is gargantuan.


feedme_cyanide

According to the news, it was transporting a helicopter.


Volunteer-Magic

>according to the news, it was transporting a helicopter. =squints= Couldn’t they just…fly…the helicopter? Or do they want the odometer to have 0 miles in the helicopter dealership showroom?


feedme_cyanide

Far more fuel efficient to carry that and some other stuff along with it. Could also be that it isn’t finished in terms of production and they need to do some stuff in the Denver area.


Volunteer-Magic

That makes sense. I figured there was some logistical reason for doing it that way. But initial thoughts, I went straight to a silly bitch response


feedme_cyanide

lol no worries, logistics hardly make any logical sense to someone on the outside (like myself) but there is a reason we have won so many wars


narwhal_breeder

The AN-24 is specialized for long-distance transit of large items - most helicopters do not have the range for a transatlantic crossing, without going *much* farther to stop at islands to refuel. Its why the Military transports UH-60s in Globemasters. [https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Photos/igphoto/2001135743/](https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Photos/igphoto/2001135743/)


kwuhoo239

Yeah no, helicopters are designed for short distance travel and their range is extremely short. They're transported by plane when they need to travel across great distances.


topdetox

I put fuel on the Antonov on more than one occasion and also used to do ramp work on it at another job. Some Ukrainian guy would just write down a number and that’s how many gallons of fuel I’d put on it. The flight crew would go to Walmart and Home Depot and buy all kinds of wild stuff, tires chainsaws furniture etc etc.


undockeddock

Haha well i suppose they have plenty of room to bring home all of that extra shit


brakecheckedyourmom

Humor me, what’s the ballpark fill up on one of these? I feel like the capacity is just shy of 100,000 gallons but might be wrong


topdetox

It’s been forever but the times I fueled it it was with a 5000 gallon tanker truck so not more than that. They go to Florida a lot because they would haul shit from Lockheed Martin to Florida for space shuttle stuff. But I’ve seen it haul helicopters as well so who knows. I used to fuel the Lufthansa and British Air flights to Europe and they would usually take somewhere between 18,000 to 25,000 gallons depending on aircraft, weather and whatever else can effect the fuel load. Edit: I feel like I also need to mention that very rarely does an aircraft get filled up with fuel, they usually take enough to get there, fly around a little bit and get to alternate in case they can’t land at the original destination


JFISHER7789

At least a few bananas


Ibenthinkin2much

My Dad flew transport in Vietnam. He brought all kind of crap home. You could get it all at Walmart now.


625cats

Could it have been ADB3784 on [FlightAware](https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/ADB3784/history/20240625/1030Z/CYYR/KDEN)?


brolome

Do we have any way of knowing when its next departure is? I’d love to see it take off. 


625cats

Hmm I’m not sure how to find that information


daface

Yeah, that's gotta be it.


Sturnella64

It's an An-124 but I don't know why it came


AdministrativeRiot

Per Wikipedia: “ULA also uses the An-124 to transport the Atlas V launch vehicle and Centaur upper stage from their manufacturing facility in Denver, Colorado to Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Space Force Base. Two flights are required to transfer each launch vehicle (one for the Atlas V main booster stage and another for the Centaur upper stage).”


runnin2343

ULA moved Atlas V and Centaur manufacturing to Decatur AL several years ago.


AdministrativeRiot

Per Wikipedia the launch vehicle is manufactured in Decatur (a place that, coincidentally, I’ve spent a ton of time! North Alabama is great and everyone should visit!) but Atlas V and Centaur are built in Denver. That’s of course just from wiki, I don’t know how updated it is and I don’t have any first hand knowledge.


darthstubborn

That's no longer correct. As the previous comment said, both the Atlas V booster and the Centaur upper stage have been built in Decatur, AL for several years now. They get assembled together at the launch site (Cape Canaveral, FL or Vandenberg Space Force Base in CA). There are currently no launch vehicles built by any company in the Denver area. Source: I work in the launch vehicle industry.


AdministrativeRiot

Good to know, thanks!


grahamsz

True, but isn't ULA practically at Centennial Airport? It's got a 10,000' runway which wiki tells me is long enough for a laden An-124. If the upper stages could be moved from centennial to denver by road, surely they'd be able to be moved to florida.


TheyMadeMeLogin

A 10,000ft runway probably isn't sufficient at our altitude, especially on a 95 degree day. Runways in Colorado tend to be much longer than elsewhere in the country because of this.


FurysGoodEye

Sorry to sidetrack your comment, but can you explain why a hotter day affects the length of runway needed? I’m not educated in the field at all and that caught me off guard.


_windfish_

In aviation, the concept is called Density Altitude. As the temperature of air increases it becomes less dense. The same thing happens as you go up in elevation - hence “Density Altitude” meaning the air density is simulating a higher altitude than it actually is. Less dense air is more difficult for aircraft to take off and generate lift in. Meaning planes require a longer runway to take off from (plus a potentially lower ceiling altitude and lower weight/cargo capacity). Denver, being at high elevation, already has less dense air than many other airports. So the runways in Colorado are generally somewhat long. A very hot day may raise the Density Altitude enough that a plane that (hypothetically) would normally need 8,000 ft of runway now needs 11,000 ft and therefore may not be able to take off from certain airports.


FurysGoodEye

Fascinating. Thank you for that explanation, makes total sense now!


WoknTaknStephenHawkn

I’ll also add that this is a thing in all engines. Cars will produce more power in colder conditions due to the concentration of O2 particles being closer together in the same cubic space. So if you’re going to brag to your friends about your new car’s 0-60, I suggest timing it on a 35 degree day.


Llama7890

It used the smaller 12000ft runway to take off despite there being a 16000ft one


grahamsz

True, but the Centaur upper stage is big & light (~5000lbs) and the AN-124 can lift like 330,000 lbs. Plus it's not like it'd need to fly during the heat of the day. Don't know for sure, but the thing is 17.7' in diameter which would be a significant problem on highway bridges. I'd be surprised if you could get that from centennial to denver. Definitely got me curious though :)


Blastercorps

Centennial does have a 10000ft runway, but also weight limits. That's why nothing larger than a corporate jet or fighter jet land there. 


legoguy3632

As another comment said, those are built in Alabama now. But Atlas V was built at the Lockheed facility in Littleton and a fun fact is that the ones built there were a slightly different color than the ones built in Alabama due to different conditions in the chemical processing


ThatOneDudeFromOhio

Nope. Came to get a helicopter.


spoonified

someone was shipping something big, either from here, to here, or because of the size of the load just here to refuel


PM_ME_YOUR_TROUT

There's a joke about somone's mom somewhere in your comment


ace425

According to the Denver Airport social media pages it was delivering a helicopter. None of the pages seemed to specify the specific model of helicopter that was delivered though.


mgithens1

Saw it around 1pm with the nose opened. It was SE of Blucifer. Gargantuan in every way.


BurningSaviour

Probably at Signature (the DEN FBO), near Gate 5.


brakecheckedyourmom

Uhhhhh….. no Probably in the cargo facility, SE of Blucifer and the only place a cargo plane of that size has any business being anyways. Signature wouldn’t know what to do with so much plane.


BurningSaviour

There’s be nothing for them to do except guide it onto the pad on the opposite side of the taxiway and refuel it. I haven’t seen the Antonov there, but I have seen C17s, C5s, and an IL76 there. The absence of buildings in the foreground makes me think it’s not all the way at cargo, but I also wasn’t accustomed to looking at it from that angle either.


kwuhoo239

The Denver Signature FBO is pretty familiar with big planes. It handles all the sports charters (narrow bodies for the Rockies/Avalanche/Rapids and heavies for the Broncos). It's also where Air Force One/Two arrives whenever the president or VP come to town.


njfoco

What’s the significance of this being in Denver? Just cool?


alesis1101

Means it either picked up or dropped off an oversize cargo load. And I believe it's the largest cargo jet currently still in operation, after its cousin the An-225 got destroyed by the initial Russian attempted takeover of Hostomel airport in Kyiv in Feb 2022. Not many of them left in operation, so always cool to see one.


inksaywhat

Could have stopped to refuel too. Don’t know if it actually loaded or unloaded any cargo.


alesis1101

True, true. Could be for repairs/inspections too, now that I think about it.


pr1ntf

It's a pretty rare bird to spot. Handful in existence, usually for special cargo.


coffeelife2020

What type of special cargo? Like an elephant or something?


Homers_Harp

Bigger. And heavier. More like industrial or military hardware that won't fit on 747s and such. Elephants are quite comfortable on cargo 747s—well, as comfy as they can be in such a stressful situation.


pr1ntf

Right. Like generators the size of buildings, whole full size train cars, rocket parts, airplane parts, all sorts of oversized cargo.


dewaynemendoza

How would Sierra Space ship a Dream Chaser?


Departure_Sea

Probably a smaller jet considering it's not that big.


I_had_corn

Dreamchaser has already been delivered to FL.


spoonified

and wouldn't need a plane that sized to ship it


Excited_Biologist

Truck, like when they shipped it to FL


dewaynemendoza

Word. I was just trying to think of why this huge plane was in town.


jpow_is_life

They would just fly it


ludditetechnician

The AN-24 used to fly the Atlas V booster and Centaur upper stage to Cape Canaveral.


alesis1101

\*An-124. An-24 is a muuuch smaller turboprop that's a dime a dozen.


ludditetechnician

Oops. LOL. You're right. I suppose the AN-24 could carry some model rockets :D


alesis1101

Yup 😂


GooseMaster5980

So we’re just not doing your mom jokes anymore?


Equivalent-Peanut-23

They're stupid and everyone's already done them. Kind of like your mom.


intestinal_fortitude

The largest Antonov variant (6 engine, largest jet ever made) was destroyed by the Russians in an attack outside Kyiv at the start of the war in Ukraine.


LazAnarch

My company used to transport rocket stages using the antonov. They were fabricated in Waterton canyon and then flown by anotonov to fl or ca.


Gueropantalones

OP’s mom


PM_ME_YOUR_TROUT

There are jokes about someone's mom all over this thread!


VSirius

Yeah, you know they need them elephants in Ukraine, stat


[deleted]

[удалено]


alesis1101

No.


mattymce

I saw this when landing around 5:30 PM today. Excitedly pointed it out to my wife who didn't seem very interested...


inksaywhat

I tried to look up what it typically carries and to what airports. All I learned is Max load is 264,000 lbs (maybe 330,000 lbs) Cargo cabin size is 36.5 x 6.4 x 4.4 m Max range of 4,650 km Flys to 800 airports Other info: https://www.antonov.com/en/airlines Description and technical characteristics AN-124 «Ruslan» Antonov Airlines was the first operator to offer the AN-124-100 ‘Ruslan’ to the commercial market. Thirty years on, as the owner and operator of seven AN-124-100s (including two modernised versions with an increased payload up to 150,000kg (330,693lbs)), Antonov Airlines continues to set the standards. The AN-124-100 can load shipments weighing up to 120,000kg (264,555lbs). However, two of Antonov Airlines’ seven AN-124-100s have been modified to accept 150,000kg (330,693lbs). To handle this increased weight, a new digital anti-skid braking system has been installed, together with strengthened tyres. The forward loading ramp has also been reinforced to accept heavier payloads. Designated AN-124-100M, Antonov Airlines’ modernised versions boast upgraded navigation systems (P-RNAV) and fully comply with the latest ICAO avionics and noise regulations, meaning that they can operate globally and without restriction. The AN-124 fuselage comprises a double-deck layout. The lower deck measures 36.5m (1437in) in length, 6.4m (251.9in) in width and 4.4m (173.2in) in height. The upper deck consists of the cockpit in the forward section, and a technician/cargo attendant’s compartment in the rear. The aircraft contains hatches in the upper deck allowing access to the wing and tail unit to facilitate maintenance when proper equipment is unavailable. There is also a well-equipped living area for the crew, which is useful on long-haul flights or when operating in remote areas.


GrantNexus

*flies


ybs62

Was here to pick up a helicopter https://x.com/DENAirport/status/1806085052515688728


alex_mk3

Here to pick up your mom.


poopadookie_

And thank God they are.


petesakan

Here to deliver some Dazbog


dennis77

Dazbog is owned by Russians, this is a Ukrainian plane. As a Ukrainian, I highly doubt it has anything to do with Dazbog. And yes, I understand you're joking, but people who are still associating Ukrainians with Russians are a little bit annoying given the circumstances.


spoonified

Dazbog is owned by Russian immigrants who are now American citizens, they are also very vocal on there support for Ukraine as well.


dennis77

So how does this fact change anything about Antonov not being related to a company founded by Russians? Also since we're talking history, remind me for a second what were American citizens doing to American citizens of Japanese origin during ww2? Or if you don't want to go so far in the past, what was the support level of J Bush when he started his little war in the Middle East destroying lives of millions of people in Iraq just because less than 20 terrorists allegedly associated with one country decided to do some crazy shit? So, unlike American citizens, we're not doing anything crazy like that, we just ask to stop associating us with the Russians, or if it's easier for you, with American citizens of Russian origin. Thanks.


coloradical5280

So, not cool with American citizens of Russian origin that are pro-Ukraine ? Country of origin shouldn’t matter as much as you think it does IMO. My grandfather was killed by the IRA, I’ve got no beef with “normal” people from Northern Ireland. Edit: typo


dennis77

So go try calling northern Irish people English or Scottish people English and see how it works out. The entire war has started because Russians believe that Ukrainians are "Russian" too, and need to be liberated, so yes, I do have a problem with any association with Russians whether they are Americans or Chinese. In addition to these, if we're playing semantics, once again how is mentioning Dazbog owned by Americans relevant to Ukrainian plane? This entire comment was because the person somehow assumed they are related, and I pointed out they are not. And I don't want to raise a point about how their send they donations to Red Cross vs any of the well known Ukrainian charities, which only Russian would do when helping "Ukraine". I guess even Americans are aware of how helpful donations to Red Cross are...


coloradical5280

I have / do. My grandmother survived and is a logical person who believes that where she was geographically born (something she obviously didn’t choose) and that a human life should not be valued based upon where they were physically located when they were birthed. It’s the exact same as saying someone who was born into the wrong body cannot do anything about it. Really— it is the same. If you also hate trans people, then I would politely ask you to not respond. We do not choose how and where we were physically birthed.


dennis77

I have nothing against black, Asian, gay or transgender people and any other people, including people of Russian origin who do not support war. But once again, all I'm saying is that not me, nor the vast majority of 50+ millions of Ukrainians around the world think it's appropriate to somehow connect the dots between people of "Russian origin" and Ukrainians. These are two different nations that have very little in common. To the same extent as Irish are different from English. In case you don't know, even though Americans thought all the Soviet people were somehow associated with Russia, they never were, those states were the oppressed states by the Russian regime. And prior to that Russian empire has annexed territories of many different nations and did everything possible to destroy their national identity to make sure they also associate themselves with Russians and are easier to govern. And now some American tells me how I should be Ok with being associated with people or "Russian origin" because their grandfather was attacked by the IRA?


coloradical5280

“We escaped because of the oppressive government, very discriminatory, very oppressive,” Leo recalls. “So we escaped in ’79 with, really, the shirts on our back, and came here with not a word of English and about $800 to our name.” He elaborates: “Our parents really sacrificed everything. Our father, from childhood, only had one leg. He was handicapped. He was very discriminated against. [In the Soviet Union], people who are handicapped are considered not even human. And so our father, on crutches, took our family of five and said, ‘You know what? Anywhere else with nothing is better than where we are here.’”


dennis77

Once again, how is their life story relevant to the point that Ukrainians are not ok with being associated with the people of Russian origin? You're welcome to throw "trans people" in your explanation if it helps to prove your point.


alesis1101

"Very little in common?" Really? You guys were both part of the Soviet Union (and have much intertwined, albeit bloody history before that), your languages are from the same language family Russian is  from (& uses a similar script; & Russian is spoken in many parts), your names & cuisines are quite similar, shared Eastern Orthodoxy, lots of intermarriage/families living on both sides of border... etc etc etc. I understand w/ the current war of survival being waged against your country, you might have severe animosity against Russian anything. But to get bent out of shape about an outsider even suggesting that you have shared heritage w/ Russians is not right, and does not help your cause at all. And blind hatred against *all* Russians is not right either (you deny it, but your tone says otherwise).


dennis77

Lol, that's exactly the reason why I raised this point. We were part of Soviet Union not because we WANTED but because we were made to be part of the union with ton of people exiled and killed for "nationalist" ideas, such as speaking Ukrainian and not Russian language. As for the language BS: If you have any understanding of Russian, give me a call and I'll talk to you in Ukrainian and you'll tell me what percentage of my speech you understood. Congratulations, you've successfully been brainwashed by Soviet/Russian propaganda. Idk, go listen to a Timothy Snider podcast about Ukrainian history or something, which started prior to Russian history (Kyiv Rus) - for the entire existence we've been constantly fighting with Russians, and the fact that Russians won for some period of time doesn't mean that Ukrainians became Russians. And yes, after the language argument, which is completely silly since Russians literally don't understand vast majority of what we're saying - Ukrainian has more similarities with Polish or Belarusian btw - but it's clear that you're watching too much Russian TV.


Revolutionary_Mud824

https://www.nps.gov/ande/learn/historyculture/otis-saalman.htm Japanese were universally known and feared for their viscous torture of prisoners —worldwide. Here’s some detail—-your view is not fair or balanced but you should at least hear both sides.


dennis77

Lol, so you're are saying that putting millions of Japanese people in camps were justified? And you're trying to give me a hard time for saying that Ukrainians aren't fans of being associated with Russians? Drink some cool aid, brother, I assume whatever happened in Iraq is also justified in your small imperialistic world.


Revolutionary_Mud824

Heavens no, to all of that. I was just trying to see how angry you still were going to get at random internet strangers—I hope you’re having a tall, cold one right now. I’m concerned about your blood pressure. Bless


Mundane_Map_2832

And in my Uzbek family we also say dazbog - why are you assuming this random person knows the owners of this coffee shop are Russian and not Ukranian or from literally anywhere else where there are Russian speakers. It's a joke


Homers_Harp

Slava Ukraini


JuggernautyouFear

I helped build that runway in 2013. 2,000 yards of concrete every 12 hour shift.


pastarojna

🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦СЛАВА УКРАЇНІ!🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 Much AMAZE!!!


dennis77

Героям слава!


Rigby-Eleanor

I googled a comparison to a 737 😳 https://www.facebook.com/share/MJ6aHhCfDAepKbXP/?mibextid=WC7FNe


Rigby-Eleanor

Here’s one giving birth to a 737 https://images.seattletimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/762218ee-aabd-11e7-839a-f715b3364adc.jpg?d=960x640


brakecheckedyourmom

They didn’t even give her an epidural for that one


Llama7890

That's a 747 next to the an 225 not the an 124


MedicineJumpy

I thought it was destroyed


1chrisb

That's it's bigger brother, the AN-225 Mriya.


EffectiveMix4337

*was a beauty…*


TheSwex

When the fam and I flew out of DIA in 2017 one of these was there taxiing around. Was wild to see. I assume it comes semi regularly?


knightfenris

Now that I learned what this is (thanks to those in the comments), this is super cool!


1331bob1331

Darn, I was out there today and missed it.


TrulyChxse

An-124. It's across from me rn


Bored-In-Denver

I saw it inside & out, and posted pics!


TheLostSatellite

I’d like to build a bitchin house out of the fuselage of one of those!


alpinesnowbunny

United is probably getting a new simulator delivered


Annihilator4life

BIG BOI


EFscouting

old plane...why don't they use the A-380s?


brolome

Why fix what isn’t broken? Why use something designed for passenger aircraft to complete speciality cargo deliveries?


kwuhoo239

There are no A380s in operation designed for freight only. There were plans to make some but Airbus scrapped the design. https://simpleflying.com/airbus-a380-f/ There are Boeing 747 freighters out there though. Quite a few actually.


l8zero

Currently on final approach into Belfast international. Source just rattled the windows of our house on Count Antrim. Flight radar tracked it back to Denver this morning


ace425

For those curious, it came to Denver to [deliver a helicopter](https://nypost.com/2024/06/27/us-news/ukrainian-cargo-plane-thats-one-of-the-heaviest-in-the-world-lands-at-us-airport/)


DoritaDontPlay

Ha! We just watched 2012 again the other day. "It's Russian.."


RutabagaNo1915

I found it on Flight Aware at the included link. But how can we find out when it is expected to leave? I would LOVE to see that thing take off [https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/ADB3784](https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/ADB3784)


Markoff_Cheney

Hefty birdy


Emo_Emu23

Could it be Vestis wind turbines?


[deleted]

[удалено]


VVOLFVViZZard

Let us nerd out on planes, Grumpy.


Mountain_Serve_9500

I have nothing to do with planes, no experiences other than commercial, or any hobby in planes and I still like to watch flight radar of planes near me and to see where they go.


Formber

What does seeing a unique and rare aircraft have to do with being a cow town? Fuck off back to Chicago or whatever dump you're from and let people enjoy things.


Yeti_CO

Yes, but also a proud aerospace town!


Salty-Saladtoppings

Correct. It’s an Antonov 124, pretty cool sighting. Especially if you’re into aircraft.


alesis1101

Mooooore An-124: [https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/1dof3yp/an124\_at\_den\_today/?rdt=45999](https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/1dof3yp/an124_at_den_today/?rdt=45999)